{"id":2199678,"date":"2022-12-08T10:05:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T10:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199678"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:10:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:10:51","slug":"one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/","title":{"rendered":"One city’s defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea’s indoor mask rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long after most countries ditched similar policies, prominent voices in South Korea have started to speak out against indoor mask mandates. The government could be lifting restrictions in the coming weeks, but it remains to be seen exactly when and to what extent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The central city of Daejeon recently sparked controversy when it <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> it would issue an administrative order to lift indoor mask requirements from January unless the central government did so by Dec. 15. Soon after the news broke, neighboring South Chungcheong Province <\/span>followed suit<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As it stands, violating South Korea\u2019s indoor mask could currently land you a fine of 100,000 won ($76).<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> it plans to \u201cclosely consult with the city government of Daejeon to go together with the central government\u2019s measures,\u201d citing the importance of a \u201cunitary network on public health measures.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Daejeon\u2019s decision seems to have at least pushed the government toward preparing to lift indoor masking rules. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> the government would decide by the end of December whether to lift the indoor mask mandate.<\/span><\/p>\n

MASKS, MASKS, MASKS<\/b><\/p>\n

Masks have been one of the main features of South Korea\u2019s COVID-19 response. At the beginning of the pandemic, masked-up South Korea <\/span>became an example<\/span><\/a> to the rest of the world through a combination of social distancing and contact tracing. And studies backed up that masks <\/span>significantly reduced<\/span><\/a> the spread of the virus.<\/span><\/p>\n

But new variants were <\/span>more contagious<\/span><\/a>. By the end of 2021, South Korea hadn\u2019t seen more than 10,000 cases on any given day; in March this year, daily cases <\/span>peaked at over 600,000<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As of Thursday, <\/span>cumulative cases<\/span><\/a> stood at 27,548,821, which means that around half the country has had the virus and the vast majority of them this year following the Omicron outbreak.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, vaccines now offer additional protection against the virus \u2014 South Korea has one of the <\/span>highest vaccination rates<\/span><\/a> in the world \u2014 and new variants of COVID-19 have thus far proven <\/span>less deadly<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Many South Koreans still wear masks outdoors, even though those restrictions are now lifted | Image: Korea Pro (Dec. 8, 2022)<\/p><\/div>\n

There could have been more cases if people weren\u2019t wearing masks as often. However, since South Korea has dropped most of its social distancing measures, there are a number of situations that arguably make masking rules redundant.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, as Daejeon <\/span>pointed out<\/span><\/a>, South Koreans are allowed to cram into indoor restaurants, cafes and bars and take off their masks once they get their food and drink. These are precisely the circumstances under which COVID-19 is most likely to spread.<\/span><\/p>\n

Daejeon also <\/span>cited<\/span><\/a> the impact forcing children to wear masks has on their language, emotional and social development. While there are <\/span>different opinions<\/span><\/a> on the long-term effects, it doesn\u2019t seem to make for an ideal learning environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ironically, it\u2019s more common to see people masked up outside, where research shows there\u2019s <\/span>much less risk<\/span><\/a> of catching the virus. This is despite the fact that South Korea <\/span>dropped<\/span><\/a> its outdoor masking requirements this spring.<\/span><\/p>\n

This could be for various reasons, ranging from fear of the virus to <\/span>consideration for others<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>protecting against pollution<\/span><\/a> and simply keeping faces warm in cold weather.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever the reason, this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that South Koreans want to maintain indoor mask rules.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a Seoul National University <\/span>survey<\/span><\/a> in September, just over half of the respondents supported lifting indoor mask requirements. Comments on the <\/span>Daejeon Ilbo <\/span><\/i>newspaper\u2019s website<\/span><\/a> following the city\u2019s announcement about lifting mask mandates also overwhelmingly supported the move.<\/span><\/p>\n

Newspaper<\/span><\/a> editorials<\/span><\/a> have <\/span>acknowledged<\/span><\/a> that South Korea is one of the few countries left that still has indoor mask restrictions. But they also <\/span>called<\/span><\/a> for in-depth discussions on the issue to ensure that any decisions are scientifically based. They further <\/span>expressed<\/span><\/a> concern about the consequences of Daejeon acting out of step with the rest of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

A sign on the doors of a Seoul building reads, \u201cWearing masks is the best vaccine!\u201d | Image: Korea Pro (Dec. 4, 2022)<\/p><\/div>\n

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY?<\/b><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, KDCA commissioner Peck Kyong-ran <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> South Korea might begin to relax mask rules \u201c\u200b\u200bat least in January, or March at the latest\u201d as long as conditions allow it.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, she <\/span>added<\/span><\/a> that people will still have to wear masks at high-risk locations such as hospitals and senior care facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doing so would allay concerns that lifting the mask mandate now could exacerbate a surge of COVID-19 and influenza this winter. It would also allow authorities to update rules to reflect what\u2019s happening in restaurants and bars while focusing on protecting the most vulnerable.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Koreans may also have to wear masks on public transportation as is the case in some <\/span>other countries<\/span><\/a>, judging by <\/span>earlier comments<\/span><\/a> from government officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, South Korea seems set to lift its indoor mask rules slowly but surely. Conversations in the government and the battle between Daejeon and the national authorities over the next few weeks will be crucial in determining the extent of those changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Business & Economy<\/span><\/a>Culture & Society<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long after most countries ditched similar policies, prominent voices in South Korea have started to speak out against indoor mask mandates. The government could be lifting restrictions in the coming weeks, but it remains to be seen exactly when and to what extent. The central city of Daejeon recently sparked controversy when it announced it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2199679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[24,25],"yoast_head":"\nOne city's defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea's indoor mask rules - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"One city's defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea's indoor mask rules - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Long after most countries ditched similar policies, prominent voices in South Korea have started to speak out against indoor mask mandates. The government could be lifting restrictions in the coming weeks, but it remains to be seen exactly when and to what extent. The central city of Daejeon recently sparked controversy when it announced it […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-08T10:05:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-05T07:10:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/12\/ppl.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"935\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"johnleenknews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Fretwell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"johnleenknews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d\"},\"headline\":\"One city’s defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea’s indoor mask rules\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-08T10:05:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:10:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/\"},\"wordCount\":876,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Business & Economy\",\"Culture & Society\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/\",\"name\":\"One city's defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea's indoor mask rules - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-08T10:05:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:10:51+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"One city’s defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea’s indoor mask rules\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"One city's defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea's indoor mask rules - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"One city's defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea's indoor mask rules - KOREA PRO","og_description":"Long after most countries ditched similar policies, prominent voices in South Korea have started to speak out against indoor mask mandates. The government could be lifting restrictions in the coming weeks, but it remains to be seen exactly when and to what extent. The central city of Daejeon recently sparked controversy when it announced it […]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2022-12-08T10:05:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-05T07:10:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":935,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/12\/ppl.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"johnleenknews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James Fretwell","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/"},"author":{"name":"johnleenknews","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d"},"headline":"One city’s defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea’s indoor mask rules","datePublished":"2022-12-08T10:05:55+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:10:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/"},"wordCount":876,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["Business & Economy","Culture & Society"],"articleSection":["Analysis"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/","name":"One city's defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea's indoor mask rules - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-12-08T10:05:55+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:10:51+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"One city’s defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea’s indoor mask rules"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2199678"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10407"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2199678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2199678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199682,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2199678\/revisions\/2199682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2199679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2199678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2199678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2199678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}